Grundleslack
Population: 1,600 (100% Duergar) Government: Monarchy Religions: Laduguer, Deep Duerra Imports: Metal Ores Exports: Weapons, Armor, Metal Ores Alignment: LE - LN Life and Society Like all other Duergar cities across the multiverse, Grundleslack can best be described in two words: dour and bleak. The Duergar themselves are enmeshed in a society in which they continually toil and toil to satisfy and appease their deity, Laduguer. As a result, things that do not directly contribute to the veneration of Laduguer- artwork, ‘fun’, and nearly anything else the powerful and conservative Church of Laduguer says- are not permitted in the city. Gundleslack is bathed in perpetual heat from the forges that are constantly at work, producing weapons, armors, crafts, and all sorts of other items. These items are of very good quality, and are generally sold to others, generating most of the city’s revenue. As such, Duergar craftsmen are constantly at work, to replenish that which was sold, to allow money to continue flowing into the city. Like the Duergar themselves, most items created by the Duergar are fairly plain and unornamented. This does not reflect their quality, however. While the Duergar themselves may be of questionable morals, their weapons are of the finest quality. Duergar are a religious people, and as such, the Church of Laduguer is very powerful in Grundleslack. In the past, the monarchs of Clan Sootshoe ruled the city. When the last king of Clan Sootshoe was deposed of in a coup, and the current monarch, King Gundarin Forgeshield, took control of the city, the Church of Laduguer exponentially grew in influence. Grimcloak Brilmara Goldcrown (Female Duergar Cleric 4 / Psion 4 / Psychic Theurge 8), the leader of Laduguer’s church in the city, wields as much influence as the new king- if not more- and is slowly marginalizing the king by issuing religious writs that net her more power, and play on Grundleslack’s allegiance to their deity before their king. Major Organizations The Church of Laduguer The Church of Deep Duerra Gray Lances Major Geographical Features Grundleslack exists in a small chamber in the Underdark. The chamber has no other exits or entrances other than a single tunnel leading east, towards the Underdark beneath the mainland. As a result, the Duergar are somewhat isolated from the rest of the Underdark, but do not fear invasions or attacks from other settlements. Over the years, the Duergar have done much to tailor the cavern their city lies in more to their liking. Because of the ever-burning forges, Duergar craftsmen have created an intricate series of vents to allow fresh air into their city, and vent steam, ash, and other debris in the air caused by mining and forging. Duergar designers also crafted an intricate series of tunnels to bring fresh water into their city, for various uses. The caverns near Grundleslack have been mined into near depletion. Ores that existed in the area have run dry after centuries of use, causing the Duergar to begin looking elsewhere for sources of metal ores to forge. Important Sites The Heartspire Castle Forgeshield Regional History The history of Grundleslack begins in the Illithid city of Cerrecere, in the years 111. Though there are no mentions of this in the histories that the Illithid keep, Dorar Grungehelm, a Duergar slave, led a revolt against his Illithid captors. Along with other Duergar slaves, Dorar escaped Cerrecere and fled into the Underdark. For twenty-six years, the Duergar wandered the Underdark, until, in 137, when they settled down beneath the island of Alesund, settling Grundleslack. Shortly later, news of Grundleslack would reach Cerrecere. Even though the Duergar city was nowhere near the Illithid enclave, the Mindflayers sought revenge, and wished to recapture their former slaves. They dispatched a large army of slaves and thrall, and sent them to march to Grundleslack. In 140, they arrived, and the Mindfire War began. The Mindfire War lasted for ten years, and was fought primarily around Grundleslack. The Duergar were able to prevail, but their leader, Dorar, was slain in combat against an enthralled Umber Hulk. His son, Grepock, took control of the city immediately after his father was killed, and instituted the monarchy that exists in Grundleslack to this day. The Illithid never bothered Grundleslack again, so slowly the Duergar built up their city. Their isolation was both a blessing and a curse, as it prevented enemies from designing plans to conquer the city, but it made it harder for the Duergar to import the metals and ores used in their work. Grundleslack, unfortunately, was in an area that was fairly ore-free. The Duergar mined the known sites knowing this, but, since the city-state came into existence, they needed to trade to have all of the metal ores they wanted. Eventually, in 1,135, King Odonar Sootshoe decided that natural resources would be gathered from the surface, and brought back to Grundleslack. Until this point, the Duergar had very little interactions with the surface world. Massive vents and aqueducts had been built to reach the surface, but the Duergar did not ever encounter other sentient beings while working on these projects, nor did sentient beings ever delve into the Underdark beneath Alesund. The small advance party that had been scouting the island of Alesund was eventually discovered by tundra barbarians, and were killed. When news of this reached King Sootshow, he saw this as an affront to his kingdom. He ordered the militia of Grundleslack to march to the surface, to engage in warfare with the Humans on the island, in retaliation, and to seize control of sites that would produce natural resources that could benefit the Dwarves. General Gundarin Forgeshield was appointed the general of this expedition by the king. He swept across Alesund, attacking all those that they came in contact with. The general made no differentiation between barbarians and others, and killed a group of trappers from the city of Bergen. Bergen saw this act much in the same vein that King Sootshoe had seen the killing of his people, and entered into the war that they had previously been staying neutral in. By 1,139, General Gundarin Forgeshield decided that the Duergar had accrued enough losses, and convinced King Sootshoe to recall his soldiers. As they returned, the Duergar lit the pine forests of Alesund ablaze, and destroyed all known tunnels leading from Alesund to their city, to prevent their pursuers from following them. Upon their return, numbers were tallied, and it was discovered that nearly 5,000 Duergar had died as a result of the conflict. Coupled with the fact that Grundleslack had failed to gain control of any relevant natural resources, a coup took place in which King Sootshoe was dethroned, and General Gundarin Forgeshield became King Gundarin Forgeshield. While he was a decent military strategist, King Forgeshield was no politician. In 1,144, the leader of the Church of Laduguer, Grimcloak Brilmara Goldcrown issued a religious edict in which the Hearspire, the seat of the monarch’s power, was transferred to the Church of Laduguer, humiliating the monarch, as well as giving the Church of Laduguer a great deal of political power. Since then, both sides have been inactive, with life going on as normal in the city. King Gundarin Forgeshield is now well aware that Grimcloak Brilmara Goldcrown is seeking to elevate herself as the priestess-queen of the city, and is taking steps to ensure that control of the city remains in his hands. Likewise, the Grimcloak is well aware of the monarch’s scrutiny upon her, but she doubts his ability to do anything about it.